Thief of Hearts
by G. Sun
Summary: Our heroines have come across a common foe at last. Our slippery bandit brings will give our heroines a lot of problems. Can they find a way to defeat the bandit? Read after THE ETERNAL CLEAR, AN EVIL QUEEN & THE BOY WITH THE OCCULT TATTOO, and SISTER. Please see profile on AN EVIL QUEEN...
1. Chapter 1

**ALL my girls are in this combined story, so yeah, I hope you enjoy. **

This place looks so much happier with everything settled. I heard a child say the other day, "Let's play hide-and-seek!" Not to me because I was about to train, but the fact that they can play hide-and-seek without being seen in the intense lights is an improvement of the sad life they lived before. People still go to the Temple of Light but the villagers aren't afraid of the other Shade anymore. Everyone living in harmony; I wish Moonlight Town was like this.

I shake my heavy backpack to ease the weight off my shoulders and step outside to absorb the tranquility of the Village of the Light. I'm gonna miss this place just a little bit, but I'm glad I'm leaving here a stronger person. The little girl that came here almost a month ago was practically a _baby_-here I am going on as if I've _truly _changed.

"Hey there Mia," a familiar voice from behind me greets warmly. "Why are you heading to the Dark Forest with your backpack?"

I face Mr. Daniel. "Today I'm going to a place, far, far away from here," I reply, knowing very well I'm going nowhere near home. "Did you forget?"

"I guess I did," he says disappointingly. "Did you say goodbye to Master Wisp already?"

"Yesterday evening."

"And Shade?"

"Him too."

"Can I accompany you to the exit of the village?"

"Okay." I take in all the sights before entering the Dark Forest. Dawn is just about to shed its dim-lit blanket over our heads and for once, the street lamps are all off. There is a small group within the village that still detests the Shade and scowl as I pass by. They are the Light Monks who spend most of the day with Master Wisp. Speaking of her, she didn't seem to care much for my departure. _"Safe travels Mia. I know you're going be fine out there_," _she assured me._

"_What if I'm not?"_

"_Then you're not," she said without a hint of a joke_. I know she doesn't hate me but she could have sounded nicer. When we reach the gate, Michele doesn't even acknowledge me and Mr. Daniel. "It means she likes you," assures Mr. Daniel, hearing my thoughts as we enter the Dark Forest. It isn't as cold as it had been the past couple of days but blustery.

"Good tidings to both of you," a Shade spirit says as he flies past us. Mr. Daniel jumps, being startled a little, but I keep cool.

"Good morning."

"Good tidings, Mia," another passerby greets. Who would have thought that there would be so many Shade living in this forest?

"Morning." The tiny, flying eyeball zooms up into the trees and flies forward into the shadows of the forest.

"I'm still getting used to all of them," whispers Mr. Daniel nervously. A drop of his perspire hits a dead leaf.

"Me too," I whisper back while following after the Shade spirit. Master Shade's farewell was a little more awkward than Master Wisp's. It was right after we had that discussion about him opting not to kill me. _"Have courage. Make sure your pure Darkness stays strong against the bad kind."_

"_Yes sir. But what if Seth' s Darkness is stronger than mine-?"_

"_His isn't," he stated firmly. "Take care." _I doubt that very much. Seth has been in the Darkness for so many months and I've been tampering with mine for about a month. How's mine going to be stronger than his? _"Weakling,"_ Mental Seth snickers. I can't let him stay inside my head beating me down all the time. It's only going to make me weaker, like Master Shade said. "I head off on my own now," I say to Mr. Daniel. This is the same vicinity where I first met Master Shade; it has become more populated with Shade spirits and looks fresher with them around, if that makes sense.

"You better pay me-excuse me, the _village _a visit," he replies with a bashful look. "Keep yourself safe."

"I will try." I shouldn't _try _to keep any promises I can't keep. Maybe I won't ever see this place again, just like home.

' ' '

"Shut the door tight!" says Mr. Erick when I try entering. Spring definitely descended upon Metropolis when I arrived-I was greeted with turbulent winds and a cruel thunderstorm. It reminds me of the unpredictable, powerful storms that would send us Lunarians-that's the nickname given to people who were born in Moonlight Town-scurrying inside for shelter. I forcefully slam the door shut and then look down at the puddle of accumulating rainwater from my drenched clothes.

"I'm so sorry about this," my head sinks in embarrassment.

I hear Mr. Erick chuckle teasingly. "How can I blame you for the weather? Mia, you haven't changed at all." My jaw tightens. "Don't take it the wrong way. Your mannerisms are still the same is what I mean." When I gain the courage to pick my head up, I notice another girl in the room, also soaked. She looks very uncomfortable in this room-wasn't her name something exotic? As if the familiar peer hears me, she smiles at me as if she understands my embarrassment.

* * *

"It's really bad out there isn't it?" I strike up conversation to conceal my discomfort.

"Yes, very."

"Have a seat Mia, I'm glad you've come back safe and well trained I assume," says Erick, slumping in his spinning chair. Bitter cold water soaks through my new outfit, which might as well look like wet poop. I've been sitting here for almost an hour waiting for these girls and I'm still wet _and _cold. God I hate the rain. Spring has officially come with vengeance. I lean my soaked head back against the tattered, beige wallpaper and stare up at the ceiling. Taking a sick day would have been the best option for me today, but Erick here told me when I got here, "_This mission requires all three of you ladies."_

"_Oh yeah? What's so special about this one? Inquiring minds would like to know."_

"_When the rest of the inquiring minds arrive." _I hate it when people keep the suspense going like this. That's why I could never get into soap operas. The sapphire-haired girl named Mia takes her seat to the stool in front of Erick tentatively. I wonder why she's so awkward and timid. Well she's still in that stage everyone has to go through, she'll eventually grow out of it. Her face is nice to look at when I steal a look at her; I knew a boy who had similar green eyes like hers, but hers are big and scream "innocence". His eyes were sharper by a huge contrast.

"How much longer?" I can no longer keep quiet patiently. Also, the awkward silence besides Erick's pen scribbling on his papers is ear-gritting. "I can't do this anymore Erick."

"I'm sure our third employee will be here soon," he replies nonchalantly with his eyes on his papers. "Maybe she's waiting the weather out."

"That's what I should have been doing," I snap, wanting to lie down in that hotel bed and sleeping through the wild climate. "We can't start without her?"

"Negative."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"Come oooon."

"No."

"I'll do anything."

"Good, then wait a little while longer." I groan as loudly like when I was at school and I would forget I had a test that day. "I hate storms." That makes me wonder, I wonder what's happening in Tokyo. When I was tossed off the ship like dead weight, I left that place in the middle of a sea storm. It's hard to imagine Tokyo even functionally normally while I'm not there. The sound of a slamming door shakes me from the maundering "nostalgia". I jerk my head to the door and then regret it.

The girl in the kimono and hood called Risa couldn't have made her entrance scarier than she did. Even if a serial killer charged in declaring that they were going to kill us all, I would be less concerned than I am about Risa's precipitated presence. Even Innocent Eyes across the room seems pretty perturbed.

"Pleasure to see you Risa," he receives her entrance as nonchalantly as he can, but even Erick can't hide his astonishment. "Don't mind my expression, the weather just seems to have worsen and I didn't expect you to get in here so quickly." Risa nods a "whatever" nod, and sits down on the stool closest to me.

"Bad weather huh?" I start light conversation despite the tense atmosphere surrounding her. She indifferently nods, keeping her eyes to the floor. "Okay then…so Erick, now that we're all here, can you tell what's so important about this mission?"

Erick clears his throat. "Gladly. Normally I would send you to decrease the population of Heartless, deal with thugs, etc. But today you have a specific target, an uncanny assassin who's been traveling worlds just like you three. I've received a flood of requests from different places, here's one: 'To Whom It May Concern, please send help for my family. It seems as though an assassin has it out for them and has already murdered my mother and older brother. Help please, the Fruve Family'. And here's a more detailed one. 'This cutthroat has attacked several of my citizens. Relatives of the victims have reported that this agile bandit breaks into their homes and murders people in their sleep. So far, her targets have been wealthy citizens, but she does not seem to burglarize. There are always stab wounds to the center of the chest, but organs are still intact. I request aid from your company, Mr. McGraw'."

"I've deduced the pattern of the killer. They have a special liking for rich families and are very slippery. I heard a report of the assassin being reported in another world and I need the three of you to kill this murderer on sight. Understand?"

"No prob," I answer determinedly. A universe-traveling assassin who hates rich people? This is what my life has come to?

* * *

_The foreigner's eyes were as wild as the lightning streaking across the grey sky. Her livid eyes will be the last thing I see in this world. In her unbreakable grasp, I snatch her soaked hands and threw them off me. I was not ready to die yet, not until I get back to my village and find Clancy. The sorceress opened her palm and shoved it towards me-a thorn protrudes from it abruptly. I was too stunned to retaliate or even dodge it-I stood there as the thorn pierced my chest, leaving me with wide hole where my heart was supposed to be. Maybe I heard Knuckles scream, or maybe it was the foreigner screaming "Daughter!" _

"Risa are you listening?" Erick McGraw's serious voice snaps me back to the present. I sigh deeply, clutching my chest. I shake my head. "You should be. I'll let your teammates fill you in on the details." That is not what happened. It almost did, but it did not.

_I took her hands off me and kicked her in the side. She flew back while holding her sides and her braid flipped over her head. When she stomped, I leaped out of the abrupt, stone pillar's way from under my feet and threw my periwinkle blade at her. An off-green mist from the clouds surrounded the young sorceress and it lifted her feet off the ground. My blade was chucked into the ground as I land safely. I thought that it was another trick or a special move but her surprised countenance as opposed to her furious one told me otherwise. "No! Jenuy…" she went back to speaking her strange language as she ascended into the sky, where she most likely came from. Her wiggling bare feet were the last trace I saw of the sorceress. That is when the rain poured heavily and lightning flashed less than a mile away from me._

_I hear the gruff sounds of vines crawling back into the ground and a soft thud. "What the hell…was that?" Knuckles demanded. He had cuts and scrapes from the thorns of the vines but he is a fast healer so I had no reason to really worry. _

"_I do not have an answer."_

"_What did she want?"_

_I turn to him just as thunder roared. "I would tell you if I really knew." I pace towards him. "I have no idea who she was and why she attacked me. I will apologize for putting your life in jeopardy but do not assume I knew who she was. I am as dumbfounded as you are." That made his eyes narrow and his tone became a sharpened blade._

"_She knew _you_ pretty well. Maybe you're hiding something," he says accusingly. My head ached, my body shook every time I spoke-there was one other time when I felt like this. That was because I was young and disobeyed. I did not want to stay on the island any longer and when Knuckles presented me with the opportunity, I left._

I almost died by the hands of a stranger. The thought infuriates me-she knew who I was, where I was, and more about me than I do apparently. She kept tell me to tap into my powers but I have no idea what she was talking about. Her eyes had an angry story behind it. But if I come across her again, our battle will have a different outcome. Without realizing it, I am walking out in the rain alongside the girl I met before named Mizuki and another girl with blue-hair. My head is not with me anymore, I do not have the slightest idea as to why I am going anywhere with these two girls. Whenever I heard someone, I simply nodded or shook my head without truly understanding. That stranger has thrown me off balance in more ways than one. "I'm glad we don't have to go that far," comments Mizuki, drenched in the rain. "I don't want to be out in the rain for too long."

"Me neither," replies the blue-haired one. Her name also starts with an M, I just cannot remember it.

"I just hate rain!" I do not mind it. Looking up at the thick, grey covering with blotches of black and streaks of lightning, I think I see a face within the angry clouds.


	2. Chapter 2

Ironically, the turbulence transferred from world to world. The next world, quite similar to our home world besides turquoise clouds and infrastructures shaped like three-dimensional shapes, is in the middle of its version of a thunderstorm. Whenever thunder claps, the mint sky would flash deep green as if angry with the world below.

The angry foreigner still haunts my mind. When I was younger, I had my share of warriors who wanted to destroy Father's pride by defeating me in battle. Father always made me win. He would say "Failure is not an option for my village", thus giving me the nurtured ego I have now. But it has cracked like an ancient, worn out sculpture struck by an earthquake because of that girl. She controlled every element of nature effortlessly while all I could do was swing my blade at her. Now that I reflect on it, she did have a face that I used to have. A face of determination and strength if one were to detract the anguish and_ lividness_. She was like me when I was possessed by hatred-could she have been suffering the same fate? Was she also overwhelmed by hatred and I happened to be the first thing she took her energy out on? That is a possibility. "…got it? Now let's get this thief!" says Mizuki with her fists in the air triumphantly, as if she had already caught the assassin, but her hands are free of any thieves.

"Mizuki." I have not spoken since yesterday. It feels strange to hear my voice again. "What are we doing…in regards to this mission." She pouts with her arms crossed.

"Weren't you listening?"

"That is why I am asking."

"Didn't I not just explain everything?" she asks the blue-haired girl. She shrugs and then Mizuki turns to me. "You oughta listen more. Okay what I said was that we have to split up and take them on separately. I'm going to try it first by the cliffs behind us. Further down, by the rocks, Mia will be waiting in case I fail. And on the road out of this place is where you will be waiting. We are getting this thief for sure."

"Right, we are," Mia tries to sound as confident as Mizuki but still sounds tentative.

"Got it this time?"

"Yes. It will be done." Focusing on this mission should take my mind off that attack. Failure is not an option.

* * *

Greedy hearts are like lollipops. They are delightful to suck on when there's not many of them but after the seventh one, they taste the same as all the others. Rich men are lollipops I don't want to waste time on anymore. Poverty doesn't taste too good either, but every once in a while, you find ones that are succulent and ripe for the taking. Like finding a diamond in a pile of coal. Pale suits this woman well. I search the limp body, finding more gold chains and diamond rings in her sleeping robe. I never grasped the purpose of hiding the valuables in the clothes. All you'd have to do was search your partner while they slept and you would have their things. They wouldn't notice until the morning and by then, you could have done anything you wanted with whatever valuable objects you robbed. From her pockets, chains of gold pour into my hands. Not a drop of blood stains the blanket when I gently cover the stranger's face. I let the jewelry drop into my side pockets and head to the balcony. I've done enough plundering and it's time to move on to a better world. Maybe one with actual poverty and more _diamonds_.

The world of Harlik didn't have the normal system of currency. In other words, capitalism is as foreign as I am. I've visited all kinds of worlds, worlds that "humans" like me wouldn't be able to survive in…in worlds humans didn't exist in entirely. All these worlds shared one thing and that's-

A soft gasp interrupts my train of thought. A young boy, no older than eight, shakes the limp body of his relative. "Momma?" I could leave him just like this, after all, a child can only scream and call for his parents, but I killed both of them. That renders him useless. "Momma's not going to wake up anytime soon."

His eyes bulge out like a doll's when he notices me. "Who are you?"

"No one."

"How can you be a no one?"

"I just am." This turned out more boring than I expected. I pull the jewelry from my pockets, bathing in the light from the chaotic, flashing jade in the sky, and throw the chains at him. "Sell these and you'll be richer than Momma ever was." As he clumsily catches them, I smash the balcony glass door with a swift kick and leap out. I better take my leave outside the city-otherwise there will be witnesses and I wouldn't able to plunder this place again.

* * *

If I waited for this rogue on the promontory, I would have purged myself dry. The fact that it's been raining in both worlds-here I thought I was going to escape that Godawful thunderstorm-and then me waiting by the water to kill some bandit would have been absolute torture. I just hope he or she just shows up already, because my mood is detestable when I'm out in the rain; I am the bitch of your nightmares on rainy days. Thunderstorms especially, hoho, then I'll explode in your face like lit dynamite on the Fourth of July.

And then there was Grey. The Lying Douche who made me think he was really Haruki. I can't I was a tool for him-just his way for escaping. Why did I have to save him? I start hitting my head with an open palm. Stupid, stupid, stupid, liars like him should stay rotting in that dungeon. I don't even care if that Heartless Queen was going to steal his heart, or whatever, he should've died. Hell, I don't even care about his fancy light show he put that made the Queen disappear! Grey did have this rugged look to him that made just a tiny-bit hot and not an ounce more because the more I think about him, the angrier I get.

A shiver runs down my spine. The rain suddenly feels ice-cold on my skin-I rub my drenched arms excessively and glance around. I don't see anything with these normal eyes of mine-but with the white eyes, I'm sure I could. You can never be too cautious in a foreign, alien world. After shutting my eyes tight and concentrating, the world is simply black and white. The raindrops have dark blue traces of energy within them, maybe it'll strengthen me. I doubt it; I'm not that lucky. My world keeps spinning until I come across an abnormal amount of energy to the west, but too far to do any harm. The mass of violet energy lurches in my direction and as it leaps into the air, its structure becomes humanlike. I skip back before the person smashes my skull into the ground. The violet energy is raging within them, just like the storm. "Are you a bandit?" That was a stupid question, they most likely are.

The unidentifiable stranger places their hands on their hips and protrude their waist. "Think about that. What's wrong with your eyes?" they bend down to get a better look at my pulsing eyes. In a blur, the presumed bandit fist strikes my side but I manage to keep my balance as I'm knocked aside. The assailant continues to repeatedly strike me but now that my guard is up, I can almost predict every movement their going to make. Like a snake cocking its head before it attacks, I dodge their jabs and crushing kicks until I find a ripe opening. Just aim for the white node, Mizuki.

The attacker brushes my arm away as if it is a fly and pulls something blade-like from their side, teeming with defined violet energy. They slash at me repeatedly and deftly until I sneak another hit in her white node, which sends them reeling back and almost off the edge of the cliff. "I shouldn't expect anything less from a member of the Byakugan clan-oh wait, you're not one of the clan members." Their voice was muffled by some cloth-it's not like I can see clothing with the Bya-something uber-Japanesy. "You took their eyes."

"What're you babbling about?" my eyes look the attacker's body up and down. I've never seen a person with a chi system like that before, it's scary to see all that concentrated chi contained in one body. And those sharp blades are terrifying, and I'm looking _through _them! "Who are you?"

"I like you. I'm gonna let you go. Maybe we can have more fun-" the bandit retreats to the narrow path that swirls around the mountain like whip cream. I begin to follow them but stop myself when I reach the soaked, slender path. It's suicide Mizuki, I can't do it. Looks like Mia's got do the job.

* * *

The stormy waves crash against the rocks, and splashes all over me, not that it matters since I'm already wet. The sooner this thief comes, the sooner I can be dry again and sip hot chocolate indoors. No matter how long I'm away from Moonlight Town, I will never call anywhere else home. It'll make me think that there's no hope that I'll get back home. I shake my wet hair and get strands of them stuck on my face, blinding me. With trembling, shivering fingers, I remove the soaked strands and then my bangs from my head. A fuzzy silhouette watches me from the hazy fog facing me-maybe it's just my imagination. But still…

My hand reaches for my inconspicuous staff bow warily and the fuzzy silhouette becomes as clear as a reflection in a mirror as it jumps towards me. By the time I manage to hold the staff in front of me, the attacker already has their curved dagger clashing against my bow, pushing me towards the edge. When I turn around and look down, the ocean seems so far down. My head is getting lighter and lighter the longer I stare down. I have to look at the bandit, I have to look away, I have to look at my attacker. But my head is beginning to spin-am I falling or the bandit hurting me and I don't realize it? The raindrops seemingly freeze on my shivering, weak body, sending me down to the ground. Before I collapse, white light erupts from my hands and a shriek emulates from either me or the attacker. I don't scream unless I'm crying or angry, so it has to be from the bandit.

* * *

The periwinkle blade appears in my hand as the scream suddenly pierces the sky almost as loud as the thunder. Which girl was struck down? Am I the only one left-I believe so. This bandit will not get the best of me, I refuse to let it be so. Not like that psychotic fighter did. She was strong and forceful, our fighting styles are similar. But this is no time to pine about what happened. Ever since that man spoke to me in my head, I cannot help but lurch into my memories no matter how recent they have been.

I shuffle anxiously as one of the prickly branches scratches my cheek. A single sound can make all the difference in stealth. That is another one of Father's lessons. _Hold the blade with two hands when you strike._ I close my eyes, waiting for the faintest movement. The downpour stops and it is just the empty road, the tree I am concealed in, and me. Will the thief be foolish enough to give up their location? Shoes cautiously, but not too warily, slam against the wet ground about six feet away from my location. I must not wait, when they come, ally or foe, I will strike them down. The running gradually becomes more audible, more careless. They are almost in front of me-do not waver Risa. I can hear them pant, sounds like a woman. The presumed-woman sighs, letting her guard slip as she catches her breath. My foot pushes me off the branch and I fly at her.

The thief anticipates it and leaps backward to avoid my hidden attack. Thunder roars like a lion when I land deftly and lunge at her before she gets a chance to strike me down. My sword hits air when I swing at her; she easily steps out of the way. "I've had too many surprises in one afternoon," she says as she ducks and attempts a foot sweep. I jump and drive my elbow into her face, but she pulls her face away like a snake and grabs my wrist. Effortlessly, she lifts me off the ground, dangling like a hanged man. "This is what came out of the tree. Tell me, why is your face covered?"

"So that no one sees-" I force myself to lie "-my nose."

"Why are you the third girl to attack me? Did I make a dead wish when I came here?" when I do not answer, she continues, "You're the only one who ambushed me, that was a shock. Why do you want me dead Hooded One?" My ambidextrousness serves me well as the periwinkle blade shaped like a key reappears in my left hand and I take another swift swipe at her. She drops me and backflips perfectly. "I want to see what your face looks like." From her sides, she pulls out two curved daggers, coated in a shade of rosy crimson. Lightning streaks across the daggers and they flash magenta as she spins them. She lunges at me and throws her curved daggers at my head, but I easily dodge and retaliate. Suddenly, a deep pain throbs at my back and sends me to the ground. I quickly turn to see the daggers she threw diving for my chest- weapons working without a master. I deflect the blades as best as I can while crawling back before they drop to the ground like lifeless puppets. An arm wraps around my neck and I can feel her cold breath on my ear as my primary weapon slips from my grasp. The bandit kicks it farther it away from me.

"Your skin is tough as metal. Any other person would be stuck to the tree as my blades dig into their organs." I know that I could summon the blade back but I am going to wait before I end her life. "Would you care to know how I kill people?" I nod stiffly. She tightens her chokehold. "I plunge my daggers into the center of their chests." She pokes mine as if I do not know where it is. "And I extract their very hearts- souls, not the blood-pumping one. I prefer the hearts of ravenous overlords and avaricious men but little do I know about the hearts of young girls-a heart of wisdom, a heart of power, and a heart of innocence are even _richer_ than the ones I've fished for. You came closest, here's your present." She releases me from her hold and roughly plants my face in the earth. As I robotically sit up, her flashing crimson daggers stop me from any other movement. She walks in front of me, and pulls off the ebony mask that covers her.

The thief is no older than twenty-eight rings, with birthmarks spontaneously placed on her face and amber eyes of greed. Her eyes lock on my periwinkle sword reposing by her feet. She bends down to pick it up, tracing its structure with her concealed fingers. "Let's see who's under the hood." She bends down at my side and her hand moves like a snake's as she pulls off my hood. The darkness my hood provides dissipates as I squint my eyes. The thief of hearts callously smiles. "_You are a beaut_. Ah, but your face and those eyes. Why would you cover that up?" I sneak a glance at the periwinkle sword.

"No one wants to see the face of the _Demon Princess_." At that instant, the sword reappears in my hand and I do not wait a second to strike her down. I swipe at her face but she jumps back-I only manage to scratch her tightsuit. Hastily, I re-cover my hood and lunge at her.

"Well Demon Princess, it was nice to meet you," she evades my attack with backwards cartwheel. "Tell your other friends it was a pleasure to meet them as well. Stop sticking your noses in other worlds, you're bound to get hurt." When I slash at her, her body radiates a violet aura and becomes transparent. I continue to slash at her in vain and by the time green flashes, she is completely gone. I drop to my knees and the downpour instantly returns, harder than before. She saw my face. It has been years since anyone has seen it. My mouth opens to cry out, but instead the thunder crashes.

**Moral of the story: don't look at Risa's face. Hope you liked it cuz there's more combined stories coming!**


End file.
